Mobile technology innovation in cancer care in Sri Lanka

University of Kelaniya Lecturer in Surgery Dr. Nalinda Munasinghe, Consultant Surgeon Professor Kemal I Deen, University of Kelaniya Head Department of Surgery Professor Ranil Fernando, University of Kelaniya Dean/Faculty of Medicine Professor Nilanthi De Silva, Sri Lanka Telecom and Mobitel Chairman P.G. Kumarasinghe Sirisena, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Sunil De Alwis, ACCIMT Director General, Board of Governors Member Eng. Sanath Panawennage, and Mobitel Senior General Manager Customer Care Jean Fernandez at the launch of the two interactive mobile apps for stoma care and breast cancer care

The national mobile service provider Mobitel, in collaboration with the University of Kelaniya and Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, is launching two interactive mobile apps for stoma care and breast cancer care. As the first phase, it will be these two cancer types with plans to expand further into different cancers according to the need. The necessary medical input, including the content and its accuracy, validity and terminology will be provided and supervised by the Department of Surgery, University of Kelaniya and the Information Technology Centre (ITC), University of Kelaniya. 

The content of the apps will be available in Sinhala, English and Tamil languages for the convenience of patients. These apps enhance knowledge and peace of mind for patients who will be able to reach out to medical practitioners and nurses through this app while taking advantage of the medical information contained in it.

These apps have been developed as a platform for communication between consultants, respective care nurses and their patients, both on an individual and country-wide basis. Also, this will serve as a platform for patient education and training in stoma care and breast cancer care, serve as a billboard for notification of meetings and events and educate the public about prevention of such cancers by screening. Furthermore, data obtained from such an app would provide opportunities for research in medicine and healthcare.

Mobitel Chief Executive Officer Nalin Perera commented, “We are proud to partner with the University of Kelaniya and Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies in designing and developing these timely and much-needed apps for cancer care. We believe these apps will raise awareness while simultaneously helping patients to access the right information from medically qualified sources. It gives us immense satisfaction to innovate on mobile technology to empower the country’s healthcare industry.”

Consultant Surgeon Professor Kemal Deen commented, “Large bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer as per the National Cancer Registry in Sri Lanka while breast cancer is the commonest cancer among women in Sri Lanka. Screening by colonoscopy for large bowel cancer by age 45 years allows for identification and removal of the pre-cancerous polyp, thus totally preventing its occurrence in men and women. Likewise, breast cancer may be detected at an early stage allowing for curative care by timely screening using a combination of self-examination and radiological screening. Through these apps it will be possible to educate patients and the general public about cancer, facilitate communication between patients and care-givers and pioneer a new trend in the country’s healthcare system. This service will fill a much needed void and we are pleased to respond to the need for heightening knowledge and awareness of symptoms, and care for stomas in patients with large bowel cancer and breast cancer amongst the general public.”

University of Kelaniya Faculty of Medicine Professor of Surgery Ranil Fernando stated, “These applications, available through the common communication devices, will help patients to communicate with medical teams (Consultants/Surgeons), Stoma Care Nurses, Breast Cancer Nurses, both at an individual level and a country-wide basis. This is a long felt need in the country and wish to congratulate the teams from Kelaniya University, Mobitel and Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies for their innovative thinking enterprise and commitment. I am confident that this project will be a success and it would be invaluable both to patients and the medical fraternity.”

Both applications will soon be available in Google Playstore for download without any restrictions. General users will have access to all pages, including all medical information, treatment locations and blogs. Access to both apps will be available to users irrespective of their mobile network. 

Mobitel, as a committed member in GSMA Connected women initiative is carrying out various projects to support and drive the acceleration of digital and financial inclusion for women in Sri Lanka. As the way forward to the Connected Women product portfolio, Mobitel introduces this interactive mobile application platform for Cancer Care in Sri Lanka, in particular for Breast Cancer and Large Bowel Cancer.